What You Do in a Herd
by PenPatronus
Summary: Diego and Sid are attacked by a pair of sabers while they're babysitting Peaches. Will Manny and Ellie rescue them in time? Family, friends, hurt / comfort, angst.


**Summary:** Diego and Sid are attacked by a pair of sabers while they're babysitting Peaches. Will Manny and Ellie rescue them in time? Family, friends, hurt / comfort, angst.

**What You Do in a Herd  
><strong>PenPatronus

"Sid, Peaches is getting too big for a ride, and I'm getting too old," Diego growled as the sloth pushed the infant mammoth onto his back. Diego dug his talons into the snow to keep from sliding down a snow-covered slope between a watering hole on their left and a cave on their right.

"Oh, come on, Uncle Diego," Sid gasped between clenched teeth. "Manny and Ellie finally let us take care of the kid all by ourselves. Don't you want to have some fun?" Sid shoved Peaches forward with all of his strength. She squeaked and wrapped her trunk around the tiger's neck, causing Diego to tumble forward. He choked, lost his footing and rolled head over paws down the hill. Peaches fell with him, giggling the whole way. Sid waddled down after them.

Diego slammed into a wall of fur. He landed on his back and found himself looking up at two very put-out saber-tooth tigers, a male and a female. They both bared their teeth and roared.

Diego scrambled up onto all fours and put himself between the tigers and his herd. "Hello friends," he purred, turning on the charm. "Sorry about that."

"Would you look at that, Seance?" the male said. He looked past Diego's shoulder, right at Peaches.

The female licked her lips. "A mammoth. Fresh baby mammoth meat. Is there anything in the world that tastes better than mammoth, Roger?"

Diego cleared his throat, bringing their attention back to him. "Sorry, that mammoth is with me."

The sabers exchanged amused glances. "I'll tell you what," said Roger, "if you share that snack, we'll leave you and the sloth alone."

Diego bent his knees and lowered his voice. "She's not on the menu. She's part of my herd. I don't have anything against you, so let us go in peace."

"Your herd?" The male chuckled and took a step forward. "I'll give you one more chance, old man. Let us have that mammoth, or _you'll _have trouble." Seance stalked toward Diego as well. They both growled.

Sid placed a palm on Diego's hindquarters. "Diego? Be careful."

Diego didn't take his eyes off the tigers. "Protect Peaches, Sid. If there's a single scratch on her trunk, Manny will kill me."

Roger pounced. Diego leapt as well and collided with him in mid-air. He twisted so that they both landed on Seance. Meanwhile Sid grabbed Peaches' trunk like a leash and pulled her over to the side of the cave wall where there was a crevice just wide enough for her to fit inside, though not deep enough for them both. Sid shouldered her into the space, then picked up a stick and stood guard at the entrance. Peaches whimpered and buried her face in her front paws.

The tigers rolled across the snow. Seance got the upper hand and slashed her front left paw down Diego's leg. The pain distracted him just long enough for Roger to slip past. Diego only just got his paw around the tiger's tail, and yanked. Roger's longest talon froze half an inch from Sid's gut.

"That's it, Diego, get 'em!" Sid shouted.

Diego grunted with effort as he whipped Roger around by the tail and used him to knock Seance over like a bowling pin. He didn't stay back to play defense, but sprinted after them at full speed. Diego slid under Roger's stomach and kicked him into the air. He lashed out at Seance with his front fangs, but she pivoted out of the way. Roger landed on her, but only after bouncing off of Diego. Before Diego could dodge their claws, both tigers got him in the side. Diego's back arched and he let out a roar of pain that echoed down the valley. It took him a second too long to recover, and the tigers got past him.

"Diego!" Sid cried. He hugged Peaches close, pressed his face against hers and closed his eyes.

Diego took two steps, then leapt right over his enemies. All three of them bounced off of the cave wall and rolled away. Roger was on him, raking his claws down Diego's hindquarters. Seance took a chunk out of Diego's ear, then pierced his paw with one of her fangs. Diego gasped and found that he couldn't breathe. His vision blurred and when he could see again, he saw that Roger had stabbed one of his fangs right into his underbelly. A sudden stream of blood turned the snow red. Diego's vision started to go black, then he heard Sid calling his name and Peaches' squeaks, and he managed to kick Roger and Seance aside.

The two tigers were slow to get up. Twin scratches scarred their chests and Roger was limping from a deep wound in his left paw. Diego climbed to his feet. He teetered on only two good legs. One eye was useless and he was losing blood fast. But he stood between the tigers and his friends, and he held his ground.

Roger and Seance looked at each other. "Let's finish this," the male smirked.

"Let's _eat _him," the female hissed. They both lowered their noses and charged at Diego.

Twin mammoth trunks swung out of nowhere. The first knocked Roger against the cave wall where he collapsed, unconscious. The second sent Seance up the hill the herd had fallen down. She disappeared from sight and didn't emerge.

"An hour!" Manny roared. He reared up on his two back legs and trumpeted his rage. "I leave you two idiots alone with my daughter for an hour and look what happens!"

Ellie was fishing Peaches out of the crevace. "Come here, baby," she soothed. "Everything's ok now. Mommy and Daddy are here."

Sid scrambled through the forest of mammoth trunks and legs. "Diego!" he shouted. "_Diego_!"

Manny lifted Peaches into the air with his trunk and hugged her close. "I expected Sid to pull some stupid stunt like this but not you, Diego!" he shouted.

"Manny," Ellie suddenly whispered.

"I trusted you, Diego!"

"Manny!" Ellie wrapped her trunk around her mate's. "Manny, sweetheart, look."

"What?" he snapped. He set Peaches down and turned to see what she was looking at. "What-" Manny froze. The whole area was sprinkled with blood. He watched as Sid drew Diego's front left leg around his shoulders and helped the tiger walk. Diego didn't put up a fight, and the majority of his weight appeared to be on Sid. He managed to take a half-dozen steps before he groaned, teetered dizzily and fell onto his side. Sid knelt beside him and shook his shoulder, calling his name.

"Oh no," Manny whispered. He sprinted over to his friend. "Diego? _Diego_?"

Diego's eyes were closed and his breathing was labored. After a long moment he whispered, "Manny, tell Ellie to take Peaches away from here. I...I don't want her to see me die."

Manny felt his throat tighten and his paws itch. He didn't argue though. It took a minute to convince Ellie to leave, but she finally did with a last sad look at Diego. And, once again, Sid and Manny found themselves standing over Diego's broken body, not knowing what was going to happen next.

Diego pried his eyes open and looked at Sid. "Are you ok?"

Sid sniffed and wiped a tear away. "I sure am, buddy. And Peaches doesn't have a single scratch."

"Good." Diego sighed, then winced. He tried to stretch his legs out but they just trembled uncontrolably. The wound in his stomach spit blood, melting the snow beneath his friends' feet.

Manny blinked away tears that threatened to blind him. He knelt beside his best friend and placed the tip of his trunk on Diego's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said. "Thank you for protecting my baby."

The corner of Diego's mouth curled up in a short smile. "You'd do the same thing for me. That's what-"

"-you do in a herd," Manny finished.

Diego squeezed Manny's trunk with what little strength he had. "One thing, Manny," he whispered. "I've been afraid to ask this for years."

Manny and Sid exchanged curious glances. For once, Sid kept his mouth shut. He had been silent for a whole two minutes, which was a record for him. Manny looked back at Diego. "What is it?"

"Do you forgive me? Do you forgive me for what I did to you when we first met? Everything with the pink kid and the saber pack, all that danger I put you in... Do you forgive me?"

Manny smiled. "I forgave you a long, long time ago, Diego. You've made up for that a thousand times over, and I'm proud to call you my best friend."

Diego smiled, closed his eyes and sighed. It began to snow right then, thick cotton-ball flakes. Diego opened his mouth as if to say something else, but then he went still, his paw still wrapped around Manny's trunk.

**TWO DAYS LATER**

Diego didn't know what saber-tooth tiger heaven was supposed to look like, but he doubted it was identical to his herd's cave. A hollowed-out log appeared in front of his nose. "Drink," a voice ordered. Diego tried to lift his head but the pain was so fierce that he nearly blacked out again. "Don't move, drink!" Manny repeated. Diego opened his mouth and allowed the mammoth to pour water down his throat.

Diego's stomach growled audibly. "The others are out looking for food for you," said Manny. "You might have to settle for week-old road kill." The log disappeared and Manny's face replaced it. His voice sounded calm but his eyes were wide and watery. "How do you feel?''

Diego licked his lips. "Why am I alive?"

Manny smiled. "Sid said his Uncle Fungus got cut once. They stopped the bleeding by, well, hugging him. They pressed against his wounds until the bleeding stopped. Saved his life."

"So you guys have been...hugging me? No wonder I smell so bad."

Manny chuckled. "You're welcome."

Diego's eyes filled. He swallowed hard and said, "Thank you."

Manny nodded and said, seriously, "You're welcome."

**The End**


End file.
